Amtrak Train 68 was traveling from Montreal to New York City on Wednesday evening when two of its cars, with 287 passengers onboard, separated from the rest of the train, the company said.

No injuries were reported.

The passengers eventually were transferred to another train to continue their trip, according to Amtrak.

"Due to the mechanical issue on Train 68 in Albany (ALB), a recovery engine has been dispatched to transfer passengers from the disabled train. We will update as more information is provided," the company tweeted at 8:41 p.m., about 90 minutes after the incident.

"There were no reported injuries to the 287 passengers or crew. The passengers are being transferred to another train to continue to their destination. We are currently investigating the cause of the car separation," the company said in a later statement.

One passenger said he heard a loud noise right before two cars broke apart, leaving him and other riders stranded on the rails.

"It was like an air noise. And I turned around and watched the train rip apart and the train -- our train -- kept going while the rest of the train was stopping in the back," Billy Osher-Dugan told ABC Albany affiliate WTEN-TV. "It was crazy. We thought the other train was going to hit us."

Amtrak Train 68 was traveling from Montreal to New York City on Wednesday evening when two of its cars, with 287 passengers onboard, separated from the rest of the train, the company said.

No injuries were reported.

The passengers eventually were transferred to another train to continue their trip, according to Amtrak.

"Due to the mechanical issue on Train 68 in Albany (ALB), a recovery engine has been dispatched to transfer passengers from the disabled train. We will update as more information is provided," the company tweeted at 8:41 p.m., about 90 minutes after the incident.

"There were no reported injuries to the 287 passengers or crew. The passengers are being transferred to another train to continue to their destination. We are currently investigating the cause of the car separation," the company said in a later statement.

One passenger said he heard a loud noise right before two cars broke apart, leaving him and other riders stranded on the rails.

"It was like an air noise. And I turned around and watched the train rip apart and the train -- our train -- kept going while the rest of the train was stopping in the back," Billy Osher-Dugan told ABC Albany affiliate WTEN-TV. "It was crazy. We thought the other train was going to hit us."

The storm virtually wiped out the coastal community of Panama City, leaving thousands homeless and nearly destroying local schools -- many of which were only able to re-open last week, a full month after the storm.

Do You Know Someone Who Deserves the 'GMA' Spotlight? Tell T.J.! Submit a photo or video telling us why your someone is so spectacular here.

Jinks Middle School, once a community gathering place, was so badly damaged that one student said it looked like what you see in the movies.

"I haven't seen this much damage in my entire life," middle schooler Ella Daube told "Good Morning America." "You see it in movies. You see it in TV shows. But when it actually happens, it's terrifying."

Jinks Middle School Principal Britt Smith told "GMA" that the school gym had been completely decimated in the storm.

"It would be the type place where we would have 575, if not more, people that would come together to watch not only athletic events, but also graduations," Smith said. "So a big part of our community has been taken away by the storm, that got the walls blown out as a result of Hurricane Michael."

Residents are slowly picking up the pieces, and as a way to show their community's resiliency, the Bay School District hosted a Thanksgiving dinner event for members of the community.

Greg Bailie, the Bay High School culinary director, told "GMA" he is leading the charge as a way to set an example for his students.

"We lost everything," he said. "As hard as it may have been -- you still gotta roll your sleeves up. And you gotta fight every day.

"No matter what you went through, somebody else is worse off," he added. "And you got to help them."

The event, which was held Tuesday night, was attended by hundreds of members of the community, one of them saying many people in the community are still in "survival mode."

"You don't even think about the fact that it's a national holiday," one person who attended the event told "GMA." "We would normally be preparing to have dinner with our families; we're still in survival mode."

Another attendee told "GMA" that her family has only been eating canned goods because they don't have a way to cook in the motel room where they are staying.

When the folks at Nestle heard about the plans for a massive community Thanksgiving meal, they rallied their teams into action, and sent truckloads of ingredients.

Some of those ingredients were 1,300 pounds of canned pumpkins, 35,000 cups of coffee, enough gravy base to make 84 gallons of gravy and enough corn pudding and green bean casserole mix for 5,000 people, to name a few.

Plus, Nestle surprised Smith and Bailie with even bigger news on "GMA" Wednesday: The company donated $20,000 to help rebuild the school in the aftermath of the hurricane.

]]>ABC News(PANAMA CITY, Fla.) -- A little over a month after Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle as one of the strongest storms in U.S. history, members of one of the hardest-hit communities are coming together to create a Thanksgiving feast for all.

The storm virtually wiped out the coastal community of Panama City, leaving thousands homeless and nearly destroying local schools -- many of which were only able to re-open last week, a full month after the storm.

Do You Know Someone Who Deserves the 'GMA' Spotlight? Tell T.J.! Submit a photo or video telling us why your someone is so spectacular here.

Jinks Middle School, once a community gathering place, was so badly damaged that one student said it looked like what you see in the movies.

"I haven't seen this much damage in my entire life," middle schooler Ella Daube told "Good Morning America." "You see it in movies. You see it in TV shows. But when it actually happens, it's terrifying."

Jinks Middle School Principal Britt Smith told "GMA" that the school gym had been completely decimated in the storm.

"It would be the type place where we would have 575, if not more, people that would come together to watch not only athletic events, but also graduations," Smith said. "So a big part of our community has been taken away by the storm, that got the walls blown out as a result of Hurricane Michael."

Residents are slowly picking up the pieces, and as a way to show their community's resiliency, the Bay School District hosted a Thanksgiving dinner event for members of the community.

Greg Bailie, the Bay High School culinary director, told "GMA" he is leading the charge as a way to set an example for his students.

"We lost everything," he said. "As hard as it may have been -- you still gotta roll your sleeves up. And you gotta fight every day.

"No matter what you went through, somebody else is worse off," he added. "And you got to help them."

The event, which was held Tuesday night, was attended by hundreds of members of the community, one of them saying many people in the community are still in "survival mode."

"You don't even think about the fact that it's a national holiday," one person who attended the event told "GMA." "We would normally be preparing to have dinner with our families; we're still in survival mode."

Another attendee told "GMA" that her family has only been eating canned goods because they don't have a way to cook in the motel room where they are staying.

When the folks at Nestle heard about the plans for a massive community Thanksgiving meal, they rallied their teams into action, and sent truckloads of ingredients.

Some of those ingredients were 1,300 pounds of canned pumpkins, 35,000 cups of coffee, enough gravy base to make 84 gallons of gravy and enough corn pudding and green bean casserole mix for 5,000 people, to name a few.

Plus, Nestle surprised Smith and Bailie with even bigger news on "GMA" Wednesday: The company donated $20,000 to help rebuild the school in the aftermath of the hurricane.

]]>Firefighter pilots on California peak rescue amid wildfire: 'There was really nowhere to run, nowhere to go'http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/b2bcef430fbc6b6d2ce1b930353e0013
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 19:26:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/b2bcef430fbc6b6d2ce1b930353e0013ABC News(LOS ANGELES) -- Two firefighter pilots who rescued three people and their dogs off a California peak told ABC News the fire roaring toward the ridge would likely have killed the stranded group within minutes.

The pilots had been making water drops on the Woolsey fire in Southern California, when their radio crackled with an urgent request to make their way to Castro Peak near Malibu. A number of people and pets were stranded there, they were told.

The Los Angeles Fire Department released a video Monday that pilots Dave Nordquist and Joel Smith had taken Nov. 9 as they conducted the rescue mission.

The Woolsey fire, which started Nov. 8 near Simi Valley in Ventura County, quickly spread to Los Angeles County -- at one point torching the equivalent of 80 football fields a minute.

The fire, which has been blamed for the deaths of at least three people, is currently 98 percent contained, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Nordquist, a 38-year veteran with the LAFD, told ABC News on Wednesday that he and Smith, a nearly 10-year veteran, were in the middle of dropping water on the the wildfire when a helicopter coordinator reached out to them, asking what their rescue capabilities were. Because the pair didn’t have a rescue team, they would be forced to land their multi-ton helicopter on that peak.

When he and Smith reached the area, Nordquist said he saw lots of smoke as well as some people and dogs on a mountain peak. Nordquist said the blaze was moving in the direction of the peak where the people were located -- and the entire area was engulfed in smoke.

"We saw that they were inside of a paved area that was fenced in. ... We first tried to land in the area but it just didn't, it wasn't working for us so we took the next best thing and landed outside of it," Nordquist said.

After Nordquist landed the helicopter, Smith jumped out.

"Given the rate of [fire] spread that we saw -- and the best judgment call that I could make -- we probably had another five minutes to get the people out before it burned over the top," Smith told ABC News on Wednesday. "There was really nowhere to run, nowhere to go for these people."

When Smith reached a woman and her dog, he said she appeared a bit confused and in shock, seeing a pilot and helicopter landing near them.

"I don't think they realized how close the fire was to be honest with you. ... I said, 'We need, we need to go now. The fire's here. Is there anybody else up here?' And she said, 'There's two other gentlemen and there's another dog,'" Smith said.

Smith said that after some gentle nudging – and with the helicopter now low on fuel -- he was able to get the trio and their two dogs -- including a terrified English mastiff -- moving in the direction of the helicopter.

"I [just said] 'Come with me. ... Your ride's leaving and we gotta go right now,'" he said. For a few seconds, the mastiff refused to budge. They had to shove him aboard.

The two pilots said Wednesday that they'd heard reports that the fire had burned over the mountain peak almost 10 minutes after they'd left.

The two never got the names of their passengers; they simple dropped them off and headed back to fight the fire.

"God bless that we were in the right place at the right time," Smith said.

]]>ABC News(LOS ANGELES) -- Two firefighter pilots who rescued three people and their dogs off a California peak told ABC News the fire roaring toward the ridge would likely have killed the stranded group within minutes.

The pilots had been making water drops on the Woolsey fire in Southern California, when their radio crackled with an urgent request to make their way to Castro Peak near Malibu. A number of people and pets were stranded there, they were told.

The Los Angeles Fire Department released a video Monday that pilots Dave Nordquist and Joel Smith had taken Nov. 9 as they conducted the rescue mission.

The Woolsey fire, which started Nov. 8 near Simi Valley in Ventura County, quickly spread to Los Angeles County -- at one point torching the equivalent of 80 football fields a minute.

The fire, which has been blamed for the deaths of at least three people, is currently 98 percent contained, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Nordquist, a 38-year veteran with the LAFD, told ABC News on Wednesday that he and Smith, a nearly 10-year veteran, were in the middle of dropping water on the the wildfire when a helicopter coordinator reached out to them, asking what their rescue capabilities were. Because the pair didn’t have a rescue team, they would be forced to land their multi-ton helicopter on that peak.

When he and Smith reached the area, Nordquist said he saw lots of smoke as well as some people and dogs on a mountain peak. Nordquist said the blaze was moving in the direction of the peak where the people were located -- and the entire area was engulfed in smoke.

"We saw that they were inside of a paved area that was fenced in. ... We first tried to land in the area but it just didn't, it wasn't working for us so we took the next best thing and landed outside of it," Nordquist said.

After Nordquist landed the helicopter, Smith jumped out.

"Given the rate of [fire] spread that we saw -- and the best judgment call that I could make -- we probably had another five minutes to get the people out before it burned over the top," Smith told ABC News on Wednesday. "There was really nowhere to run, nowhere to go for these people."

When Smith reached a woman and her dog, he said she appeared a bit confused and in shock, seeing a pilot and helicopter landing near them.

"I don't think they realized how close the fire was to be honest with you. ... I said, 'We need, we need to go now. The fire's here. Is there anybody else up here?' And she said, 'There's two other gentlemen and there's another dog,'" Smith said.

Smith said that after some gentle nudging – and with the helicopter now low on fuel -- he was able to get the trio and their two dogs -- including a terrified English mastiff -- moving in the direction of the helicopter.

"I [just said] 'Come with me. ... Your ride's leaving and we gotta go right now,'" he said. For a few seconds, the mastiff refused to budge. They had to shove him aboard.

The two pilots said Wednesday that they'd heard reports that the fire had burned over the mountain peak almost 10 minutes after they'd left.

The two never got the names of their passengers; they simple dropped them off and headed back to fight the fire.

"God bless that we were in the right place at the right time," Smith said.

]]>Police make arrest in killing, sex assault at St. Louis Catholic Supply storehttp://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/e550971971f87edda5257dc1f978a4db
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 19:25:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/e550971971f87edda5257dc1f978a4dbiStock/Thinkstock(ST. LOUIS, Mo.) -- A Missouri man was arrested in connection with a heinous crime spree at a Catholic Supply chain store in St. Louis in which a female customer was fatally shot and at least one other woman was sexually assaulted, officials said.

Thomas Bruce, 53, is now in police custody on 14 charges including first-degree murder, sodomy, kidnapping, burglary, tampering with evidence and armed criminal action, according to the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney.

Bruce entered the store on the west side of St. Louis shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday posing as a customer, left to get a credit card and then returned, displayed a handgun and forced everyone into a back room, police said in a press release.

He ordered the three victims to the back room where he forced them to disrobe at gunpoint, according to a press release from St. Louis County Police. Bruce then allegedly exposed his genitals and demanded each of the victims perform sexual acts on him, police said.

Two of the victims complied, but when mother of three Jamie Schmidt, 53, refused, she was shot in the head by Bruce, police said.

Bruce then ordered the other victims to continue performing sexual acts on him, then he fled the scene, according to police.

Officers swarmed the store -- which sells rosary beads, votive candles, Bibles and other religious supplies -- but by the time officers arrived Bruce was gone.

Police later released images of clothing items similar to those Bruce wore during the alleged attack. Bruce then discarded the clothes he wore during the alleged incident, police said.

Bruce was detained at a mobile home park in a St. Louis suburb Wednesday. Officials said detectives interviewed Bruce Wednesday afternoon.

Bruce is being held on $150,000 cash-only bond. It is unknown if he has retained an attorney.

Officials said that the victims did not know the alleged killer and investigators have not determined a motive for the crime.

"Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific tragedy at Catholic Supply. We are praying for these victims... We join civic authorities asking for the community's assistance in apprehending the culprit of this crime," Archbishop Robert Carlos of the Archdiocese of St. Louis said in a statement.

]]>iStock/Thinkstock(ST. LOUIS, Mo.) -- A Missouri man was arrested in connection with a heinous crime spree at a Catholic Supply chain store in St. Louis in which a female customer was fatally shot and at least one other woman was sexually assaulted, officials said.

Thomas Bruce, 53, is now in police custody on 14 charges including first-degree murder, sodomy, kidnapping, burglary, tampering with evidence and armed criminal action, according to the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney.

Bruce entered the store on the west side of St. Louis shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday posing as a customer, left to get a credit card and then returned, displayed a handgun and forced everyone into a back room, police said in a press release.

He ordered the three victims to the back room where he forced them to disrobe at gunpoint, according to a press release from St. Louis County Police. Bruce then allegedly exposed his genitals and demanded each of the victims perform sexual acts on him, police said.

Two of the victims complied, but when mother of three Jamie Schmidt, 53, refused, she was shot in the head by Bruce, police said.

Bruce then ordered the other victims to continue performing sexual acts on him, then he fled the scene, according to police.

Officers swarmed the store -- which sells rosary beads, votive candles, Bibles and other religious supplies -- but by the time officers arrived Bruce was gone.

Police later released images of clothing items similar to those Bruce wore during the alleged attack. Bruce then discarded the clothes he wore during the alleged incident, police said.

Bruce was detained at a mobile home park in a St. Louis suburb Wednesday. Officials said detectives interviewed Bruce Wednesday afternoon.

Bruce is being held on $150,000 cash-only bond. It is unknown if he has retained an attorney.

Officials said that the victims did not know the alleged killer and investigators have not determined a motive for the crime.

"Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific tragedy at Catholic Supply. We are praying for these victims... We join civic authorities asking for the community's assistance in apprehending the culprit of this crime," Archbishop Robert Carlos of the Archdiocese of St. Louis said in a statement.

]]>NJ family was 'targeted' and killed before mansion fire in New Jersey: Prosecutorhttp://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/af4f99ff5190c0c79c6304cae563699a
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 14:44:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/af4f99ff5190c0c79c6304cae563699aWABC(COLTS NECK, N.J.) -- A wealthy New Jersey family was killed before their mansion was set on fire in what authorities are investigating as a quadruple homicide.

The killer shot Keith Caneiro and stabbed Caneiro's wife, Jennifer, and their two young children before setting the family's mansion on fire, an official briefed on the case told ABC News.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said at a news conference Wednesday that the family was "targeted" in the horrific crime.

"The case has transcended into a multiple homicide investigation in addition to the arson matter. And to date, our investigation has revealed that unfortunately, sadly, each of these individuals were the victims of homicidal violence at some point prior to when the fire was set," Gramiccioni.

Keith Caneiro's brother and business partner, Paul Caneiro, was arrested and taken into custody on charges stemming from another suspicious fire at his home early Tuesday. But Gramiccioni would not say if Paul Caneiro is a suspect in the killing of his brother, sister-in-law, 8-year-old niece and 11-year-old nephew.

Paul Caneiro, 51, allegedly used gasoline to ignite the blaze at his home on Tilton Avenue in Ocean Township around 5 a.m. Tuesday while his wife and two daughters were inside, according to an arrest warrant obtained by ABC News.

The warrant alleged that Paul Caneiro "purposely or knowingly" set the fire at his home. His wife and children managed to escape the blaze unharmed.

Gramiccioni said agents from the FBI and Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives are working with local law enforcement to determine if the arson fire in Ocean Township is connected to the murder and arson blaze in Colts Neck about 10 miles away.

The Colts Neck fire broke out about 12 p.m. Tuesday at the Caneiro family's 5,784-square-foot mansion on Willow Brook Road. Keith Caneiro was found dead outside the home with multiple gunshot wounds, Gramiccioni said. Jennifer Caneiro and the couple's two children were found inside the home severely burned, he said.

Officials briefed on the probe told ABC news they after the victims stabbed to death, their bodies were left to burn.

"We believe in some fashion the family was targeted," Gramiccioni said. "If it was random violence who presented risk to community first thing we’d do is put that info out to the public. Have no reason to believe that’s the case, think it was targeted. Can’t go further than."

As firefighters worked late into Tuesday night to put out the fire on Willow Brook Road in Colts Neck, fire investigators quickly discovered evidence of arson.

Paul Caneiro was booked at the Monmouth County Jail on suspicion of aggravated arson in connection with the Ocean Township fire, sheriff's officials said.

Keith Caneiro was the founder and chief executive officer of Square One, a technology services consulting firm in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

]]>WABC(COLTS NECK, N.J.) -- A wealthy New Jersey family was killed before their mansion was set on fire in what authorities are investigating as a quadruple homicide.

The killer shot Keith Caneiro and stabbed Caneiro's wife, Jennifer, and their two young children before setting the family's mansion on fire, an official briefed on the case told ABC News.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said at a news conference Wednesday that the family was "targeted" in the horrific crime.

"The case has transcended into a multiple homicide investigation in addition to the arson matter. And to date, our investigation has revealed that unfortunately, sadly, each of these individuals were the victims of homicidal violence at some point prior to when the fire was set," Gramiccioni.

Keith Caneiro's brother and business partner, Paul Caneiro, was arrested and taken into custody on charges stemming from another suspicious fire at his home early Tuesday. But Gramiccioni would not say if Paul Caneiro is a suspect in the killing of his brother, sister-in-law, 8-year-old niece and 11-year-old nephew.

Paul Caneiro, 51, allegedly used gasoline to ignite the blaze at his home on Tilton Avenue in Ocean Township around 5 a.m. Tuesday while his wife and two daughters were inside, according to an arrest warrant obtained by ABC News.

The warrant alleged that Paul Caneiro "purposely or knowingly" set the fire at his home. His wife and children managed to escape the blaze unharmed.

Gramiccioni said agents from the FBI and Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives are working with local law enforcement to determine if the arson fire in Ocean Township is connected to the murder and arson blaze in Colts Neck about 10 miles away.

The Colts Neck fire broke out about 12 p.m. Tuesday at the Caneiro family's 5,784-square-foot mansion on Willow Brook Road. Keith Caneiro was found dead outside the home with multiple gunshot wounds, Gramiccioni said. Jennifer Caneiro and the couple's two children were found inside the home severely burned, he said.

Officials briefed on the probe told ABC news they after the victims stabbed to death, their bodies were left to burn.

"We believe in some fashion the family was targeted," Gramiccioni said. "If it was random violence who presented risk to community first thing we’d do is put that info out to the public. Have no reason to believe that’s the case, think it was targeted. Can’t go further than."

As firefighters worked late into Tuesday night to put out the fire on Willow Brook Road in Colts Neck, fire investigators quickly discovered evidence of arson.

Paul Caneiro was booked at the Monmouth County Jail on suspicion of aggravated arson in connection with the Ocean Township fire, sheriff's officials said.

Keith Caneiro was the founder and chief executive officer of Square One, a technology services consulting firm in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

]]>Kansas commissioner resigns after bizarre 'master race' remarkshttp://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/c0a5ff286410e701ecbf68a8cbba98e7
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 12:19:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/c0a5ff286410e701ecbf68a8cbba98e7Leavenworth County Board of County Commissioners(KANSAS CITY, Kan.) -- A white Kansas county commissioner has resigned after coming under fire for telling an African-American consultant at a public meeting that he was "part of the master race."

Louis Klemp, 80, resigned Tuesday from the Leavenworth County Board of Commissioners, writing in a letter that "I regret my recent comment."

Klemp's resignation letter was read during a commission meeting on Tuesday and was immediately accepted by the board.

"Mr. Klemp has done the right thing," Commissioner Doug Smith said during the meeting. "This is a good example that the choice of words does matter. I hope the young lady involved will accept our apology and will not hesitate to help Leavenworth County on future projects."

During a public meeting on Nov. 13, Triveece Penelton, a consultant for VIREO Planning Associates in Kansas City, was making a presentation to the board of commissioners about community engagement on a potential development of rural land in Tonganoxie, Kansas.

In a video of the meeting, posted on the Leavenworth County Board of Commissioners' YouTube channel, Klemp expressed his displeasure with a plan to develop the land as residential. He said he favored an industrial development that would return revenue to the county.

Speaking directly to Penelton, Klemp said, "I don't want you to think I'm picking on you because we're part of the master race. You know you got a gap in your teeth. You're the masters. Don't ever forget that."

Klemp did not explain what he meant by the comment.

In his resignation letter, Klemp said his comment was "misinterpreted" and that he was trying to find common ground with Penelton by pointing out they both had gaps in their teeth.

"My attempts at identifying a similarity, space between our teeth, with the presenter were well-meaning," he wrote in his letter.

The term "master race" stems from Nazi terminology, often describing Adolf Hitler's belief in a superior Aryan race.

But Klemp said in his letter that his use of the phrase was "definitely not racially motivated." He also said he contacted Penelton to extend "my regret and support."

"Racial and discriminative language have no place in our society, and most especially when spoken by someone holding a public office," Colyer said in a statement. "The inappropriate remarks made by Leavenworth County Commissioner Louis Klemp are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of the county which he represents."

The Leavenworth City Commission held a special meeting on Thursday and issued a statement condemning Klemp's remark and asked that he apologize and step down.

Louis Klemp, 80, resigned Tuesday from the Leavenworth County Board of Commissioners, writing in a letter that "I regret my recent comment."

Klemp's resignation letter was read during a commission meeting on Tuesday and was immediately accepted by the board.

"Mr. Klemp has done the right thing," Commissioner Doug Smith said during the meeting. "This is a good example that the choice of words does matter. I hope the young lady involved will accept our apology and will not hesitate to help Leavenworth County on future projects."

During a public meeting on Nov. 13, Triveece Penelton, a consultant for VIREO Planning Associates in Kansas City, was making a presentation to the board of commissioners about community engagement on a potential development of rural land in Tonganoxie, Kansas.

In a video of the meeting, posted on the Leavenworth County Board of Commissioners' YouTube channel, Klemp expressed his displeasure with a plan to develop the land as residential. He said he favored an industrial development that would return revenue to the county.

Speaking directly to Penelton, Klemp said, "I don't want you to think I'm picking on you because we're part of the master race. You know you got a gap in your teeth. You're the masters. Don't ever forget that."

Klemp did not explain what he meant by the comment.

In his resignation letter, Klemp said his comment was "misinterpreted" and that he was trying to find common ground with Penelton by pointing out they both had gaps in their teeth.

"My attempts at identifying a similarity, space between our teeth, with the presenter were well-meaning," he wrote in his letter.

The term "master race" stems from Nazi terminology, often describing Adolf Hitler's belief in a superior Aryan race.

But Klemp said in his letter that his use of the phrase was "definitely not racially motivated." He also said he contacted Penelton to extend "my regret and support."

"Racial and discriminative language have no place in our society, and most especially when spoken by someone holding a public office," Colyer said in a statement. "The inappropriate remarks made by Leavenworth County Commissioner Louis Klemp are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of the county which he represents."

The Leavenworth City Commission held a special meeting on Thursday and issued a statement condemning Klemp's remark and asked that he apologize and step down.

Hania was kidnapped just before 7 a.m. local time on Nov. 5 outside her home at the Rosewood Mobile Home Park in Lumberton, a city in Robeson County, according to police.

She had grabbed her aunt's car keys that morning so she could turn on the vehicle before school. That's when a witness saw a man clad in all black with a yellow bandanna over his face approach the girl and force her into the green, 2003 Ford Expedition, police said.

The suspect then drove away in the family's SUV with Hania inside, police said. The stolen vehicle was located several miles away on Quincey Drive three days later, but Hania was nowhere to be found.

Investigators have been seeking surveillance footage from anyone who lives or owns a business on or near Quincey Drive. They have now expanded their plea to local hunters who have deer cameras in Robeson County and have any footage between Nov. 5 and 8.

"It is vitally important we find every piece of video that may help us determine the exact movements of the stolen SUV from Rosewood Mobile Home Park to Quincey Drive where it was found on November 8," FBI spokeswoman Shelley Lynch said in a statement Tuesday. "Let us determine whether or not the footage you have can provide us with any investigative clues."

Meanwhile, investigators are still trying to track down a man who was seen in surveillance footage walking in the neighborhood on the morning when Hania was abducted. The three videos, which the FBI released earlier this month, show the unidentified man wearing light-colored shoes, a light-colored shirt and a hoodie.

The man is not considered a suspect or person of interest at this time. Rather, he's someone authorities "want to speak with" because he may be able to help investigators narrow down a timeline of Hania's kidnapping, according to FBI supervisor Andy de la Rocha.

So far, investigators said there's no indication to believe Hania isn't alive.

The FBI, which last week named Hania's disappearance its "Most Wanted: Case of the Week," is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information on the case. The state of North Carolina is also offering a $5,000, bringing the total possible reward amount to $30,000.

Hania is described as a Hispanic girl who is 5 feet tall and weighs about 125 pounds, according to the FBI. She has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a blue shirt with flowers and blue jeans.

Authorities have set up a special tip line that anyone can call if they have information to help investigators find Hania: (910) 272-5871.

Hania was kidnapped just before 7 a.m. local time on Nov. 5 outside her home at the Rosewood Mobile Home Park in Lumberton, a city in Robeson County, according to police.

She had grabbed her aunt's car keys that morning so she could turn on the vehicle before school. That's when a witness saw a man clad in all black with a yellow bandanna over his face approach the girl and force her into the green, 2003 Ford Expedition, police said.

The suspect then drove away in the family's SUV with Hania inside, police said. The stolen vehicle was located several miles away on Quincey Drive three days later, but Hania was nowhere to be found.

Investigators have been seeking surveillance footage from anyone who lives or owns a business on or near Quincey Drive. They have now expanded their plea to local hunters who have deer cameras in Robeson County and have any footage between Nov. 5 and 8.

"It is vitally important we find every piece of video that may help us determine the exact movements of the stolen SUV from Rosewood Mobile Home Park to Quincey Drive where it was found on November 8," FBI spokeswoman Shelley Lynch said in a statement Tuesday. "Let us determine whether or not the footage you have can provide us with any investigative clues."

Meanwhile, investigators are still trying to track down a man who was seen in surveillance footage walking in the neighborhood on the morning when Hania was abducted. The three videos, which the FBI released earlier this month, show the unidentified man wearing light-colored shoes, a light-colored shirt and a hoodie.

The man is not considered a suspect or person of interest at this time. Rather, he's someone authorities "want to speak with" because he may be able to help investigators narrow down a timeline of Hania's kidnapping, according to FBI supervisor Andy de la Rocha.

So far, investigators said there's no indication to believe Hania isn't alive.

The FBI, which last week named Hania's disappearance its "Most Wanted: Case of the Week," is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information on the case. The state of North Carolina is also offering a $5,000, bringing the total possible reward amount to $30,000.

Hania is described as a Hispanic girl who is 5 feet tall and weighs about 125 pounds, according to the FBI. She has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a blue shirt with flowers and blue jeans.

Authorities have set up a special tip line that anyone can call if they have information to help investigators find Hania: (910) 272-5871.

Wind chills on Thursday morning across the Northeast will be brutal -– in the teens from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, the single digits for New York City, and below zero for Boston and much of New England.

Throughout the day on Thanksgiving don’t expect it to warm up much at all. Temperatures in Philadelphia, New York City and Boston will stay below the freezing mark -- with the wind chill feeling more like the middle of winter than November.

In fact, some of these temperatures are even colder than average temperatures in January.

This will be the coldest Thanksgiving since 1996 across the Northeast, while some cities could get close to the coldest Thanksgiving on record.

Boston's forecast high is 21 degrees on Thursday, which means it will likely break the record for coldest Thanksgiving ever: 24 degrees set in 1901.

New York City's forecast high is 27 degrees, which may not break the record for coldest Thanksgiving, but will likely be in the top 3. Philadelphia's forecast high is 30 degrees, and the record for coldest Thanksgiving is 27 degrees.

Snow squalls are possible for western New York and Pennsylvania on Wednesday as an advancing cold front brings lake effect snow across the area. Winter weather advisories are in effect from Buffalo to Watertown.

Only minor accumulations are expected, but any whiteout conditions and slick roads will result in hazardous travel.

Much of the country is looking dry and quiet for one of the biggest travel days of the year on Wednesday.

Sunshine and seasonable temperatures stretch from the Southwest all the way to the East Coast,

There are no major storms to speak of, but there are a few trouble spots: rain along the West Coast, a few showers along the Gulf Coast and the lake effect snow in the Northeast.

Wind chills on Thursday morning across the Northeast will be brutal -– in the teens from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, the single digits for New York City, and below zero for Boston and much of New England.

Throughout the day on Thanksgiving don’t expect it to warm up much at all. Temperatures in Philadelphia, New York City and Boston will stay below the freezing mark -- with the wind chill feeling more like the middle of winter than November.

In fact, some of these temperatures are even colder than average temperatures in January.

This will be the coldest Thanksgiving since 1996 across the Northeast, while some cities could get close to the coldest Thanksgiving on record.

Boston's forecast high is 21 degrees on Thursday, which means it will likely break the record for coldest Thanksgiving ever: 24 degrees set in 1901.

New York City's forecast high is 27 degrees, which may not break the record for coldest Thanksgiving, but will likely be in the top 3. Philadelphia's forecast high is 30 degrees, and the record for coldest Thanksgiving is 27 degrees.

Snow squalls are possible for western New York and Pennsylvania on Wednesday as an advancing cold front brings lake effect snow across the area. Winter weather advisories are in effect from Buffalo to Watertown.

Only minor accumulations are expected, but any whiteout conditions and slick roads will result in hazardous travel.

Much of the country is looking dry and quiet for one of the biggest travel days of the year on Wednesday.

Sunshine and seasonable temperatures stretch from the Southwest all the way to the East Coast,

There are no major storms to speak of, but there are a few trouble spots: rain along the West Coast, a few showers along the Gulf Coast and the lake effect snow in the Northeast.

At least 870 people still were unaccounted in the wake of wildfires that have scorched nearly 400 square miles of land across the Golden State, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Brian Ferreira, a rescue squad officer for California Task Force 4, said the heavy rain could wash away potential "remains, or cremains," and impede the search for victims. His team and other rescue crews across the state are racing to get as much done as possible before rain starts falling later today, likely continuing the next few days.

"When the rain comes, [it's] going to consolidate the material and make it more dense and pack it down. And it's going to present much more like soil," Ferreira told reporters on the ground Wednesday. "So anything we find or hope to find that's still there, it's gonna make a difficult task just that much more difficult."

"We're going to go as hard as we can, as long as we can, until we can't go anymore," he added. "That's what's going to happen."

The worst of the rain systems could hit Paradise, a town virtually wiped out by wildfire, with as much as 5 inches of rain through Friday.

The rain is good news, overall, according to meteorologists, because it will boost air quality and lower the risk of new fires igniting this winter, but it likely will bring isolated mudslides and flash flooding to areas devastated by wildfires.

A flash flood watch is in effect Wednesday through Friday for several areas in Northern California, including Butte County, where the Camp Fire left 81 dead -- making it the deadliest and most destructive wildland fire in state history.

"Properties impacted by the wildfires, and downstream of those areas, are at risk for flash flooding, mudflows and debris flows during periods of intense rainfall," Butte County officials warned residents earlier this week. "Wildfires can alter the terrain and soil conditions reducing the capacity for the ground to absorb water creating conditions for these types of hazards."

The National Weather Service also warned residents in low-lying areas of Butte County to prepare for possible road problems and potential evacuations due to flooding, falling rocks or debris flows during or after this stretch of precipitation.

Rain also is forecast in parts of Southern California, including where the Woolsey Fire killed at least three people and scorched more than 96,000 acres.

At least 870 people still were unaccounted in the wake of wildfires that have scorched nearly 400 square miles of land across the Golden State, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Brian Ferreira, a rescue squad officer for California Task Force 4, said the heavy rain could wash away potential "remains, or cremains," and impede the search for victims. His team and other rescue crews across the state are racing to get as much done as possible before rain starts falling later today, likely continuing the next few days.

"When the rain comes, [it's] going to consolidate the material and make it more dense and pack it down. And it's going to present much more like soil," Ferreira told reporters on the ground Wednesday. "So anything we find or hope to find that's still there, it's gonna make a difficult task just that much more difficult."

"We're going to go as hard as we can, as long as we can, until we can't go anymore," he added. "That's what's going to happen."

The worst of the rain systems could hit Paradise, a town virtually wiped out by wildfire, with as much as 5 inches of rain through Friday.

The rain is good news, overall, according to meteorologists, because it will boost air quality and lower the risk of new fires igniting this winter, but it likely will bring isolated mudslides and flash flooding to areas devastated by wildfires.

A flash flood watch is in effect Wednesday through Friday for several areas in Northern California, including Butte County, where the Camp Fire left 81 dead -- making it the deadliest and most destructive wildland fire in state history.

"Properties impacted by the wildfires, and downstream of those areas, are at risk for flash flooding, mudflows and debris flows during periods of intense rainfall," Butte County officials warned residents earlier this week. "Wildfires can alter the terrain and soil conditions reducing the capacity for the ground to absorb water creating conditions for these types of hazards."

The National Weather Service also warned residents in low-lying areas of Butte County to prepare for possible road problems and potential evacuations due to flooding, falling rocks or debris flows during or after this stretch of precipitation.

Rain also is forecast in parts of Southern California, including where the Woolsey Fire killed at least three people and scorched more than 96,000 acres.

"I just thought, 'We’re at war,'" Blashek recalled, telling ABC Radio she was thinking about her teenagers at the time.

"I want to be the one to serve," she explained. "I don’t want it to fall on their shoulders."

She had no military experience, and she said no branch wanted her. She was told she was too old, so she searched for volunteer opportunities and could only find one: The Bob Hope USO at LAX, located at Los Angeles International Airport, where military members preparing to ship out or returning home could have access to phones, computers, bathrooms and food.

After a year and a half of feeling like she was making a tiny bit of difference, Blashek was brought to tears by one service member who came in asking for a chaplain.

“He was on emergency leave to bury his mother,” she said. “His wife had left him, and his only child had died as an infant.

"He had no one in his life," she continued. "And he said to me, 'For the first time in my 20-year career, I'm going back to a war. I know I'm not going to make it home this time, but it doesn’t matter because no one would care.'"

Blashek says she tried to help him, but she wasn't sure she actually did.

When he left, she fell apart.

"I just was sobbing, thinking, 'You know, I have to do more than just serve hot dogs,'" she said.

While trying to figure out what more she could do, she remembered that she used to send her kids care packages when they would go away to summer camp on the East Coast. Like a bolt of lightning, she thought, "Why not send care packages to military members?"

And that’s how Operation Gratitude was born.

Originally headquartered in her home in Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley, Blashek set about collecting snacks, games, toiletries -- anything she thought would give some comfort to someone far from home in a war zone. She also included a personalized letter in each care package, thanking the recipient for his or her service.

But in those first few post-9/11 years of terrorism and anthrax scares, you couldn't send a package to the front lines without addressing it to someone serving. And that was an issue.

"I didn't know anybody in the military," she said. "So that became another journey of trying to collect names and addresses."

Quickly though, and at a time when things didn't yet go viral, word spread. Blashek was flooded with not only names, but donations of sunscreen and socks and other supplies.

She said her living room was packed to the rafters with boxes, but she wasn't allowed to send just anything.

"No alcohol," she said. "No pork products because most of these packages were going into majority Muslim countries. No overtly religious materials. And no pornography."

One day she heard about a shipment of sunscreen someone had donated, just sitting at an armory near her home. So she showed up and knocked on the door. It wasn’t long before she moved her whole operation from her house to the armory and started recruiting volunteers to help stuff boxes.

Now, Operation Gratitude is a non-profit company with a chief executive officer (CEO) and a couple dozen employees, which to date has sent more than 2.1 million packages to military members, their families and veterans.

"We all assume that everybody's got a family and loved ones that send them letters and packages," Vietnam veteran Bob Donavan said at a recent Operation Gratitude volunteer day.

"It's not so. They really don’t."

And when service members get those Operation Gratitude packages, he said there’s one thing that’s more important that the snacks and socks.

"When you get that letter, and I can tell you from speaking to a lot of people that have come back out of the combat zones, it's either in their breast pocket over their heart, or in their helmet. That's how much that little letter means," he added.

Operation Gratitude has since expanded their scope, now sending packages domestically to first responders as well as deployed military members.

There are such volunteer days all over the country, where hundreds of people donate their time, stuffing boxes, stuffing bears for military children and coming together.

People of all economic backgrounds, races, "and most significantly, of all political viewpoints," said Blashek.

"From the far left to the far right, and everybody is joined in common cause to say thank you."

This story will be featured in ABC Radio's three-hour special, "America Gives Thanks," airing on ABC Radio affiliates across the country on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22.

"I just thought, 'We’re at war,'" Blashek recalled, telling ABC Radio she was thinking about her teenagers at the time.

"I want to be the one to serve," she explained. "I don’t want it to fall on their shoulders."

She had no military experience, and she said no branch wanted her. She was told she was too old, so she searched for volunteer opportunities and could only find one: The Bob Hope USO at LAX, located at Los Angeles International Airport, where military members preparing to ship out or returning home could have access to phones, computers, bathrooms and food.

After a year and a half of feeling like she was making a tiny bit of difference, Blashek was brought to tears by one service member who came in asking for a chaplain.

“He was on emergency leave to bury his mother,” she said. “His wife had left him, and his only child had died as an infant.

"He had no one in his life," she continued. "And he said to me, 'For the first time in my 20-year career, I'm going back to a war. I know I'm not going to make it home this time, but it doesn’t matter because no one would care.'"

Blashek says she tried to help him, but she wasn't sure she actually did.

When he left, she fell apart.

"I just was sobbing, thinking, 'You know, I have to do more than just serve hot dogs,'" she said.

While trying to figure out what more she could do, she remembered that she used to send her kids care packages when they would go away to summer camp on the East Coast. Like a bolt of lightning, she thought, "Why not send care packages to military members?"

And that’s how Operation Gratitude was born.

Originally headquartered in her home in Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley, Blashek set about collecting snacks, games, toiletries -- anything she thought would give some comfort to someone far from home in a war zone. She also included a personalized letter in each care package, thanking the recipient for his or her service.

But in those first few post-9/11 years of terrorism and anthrax scares, you couldn't send a package to the front lines without addressing it to someone serving. And that was an issue.

"I didn't know anybody in the military," she said. "So that became another journey of trying to collect names and addresses."

Quickly though, and at a time when things didn't yet go viral, word spread. Blashek was flooded with not only names, but donations of sunscreen and socks and other supplies.

She said her living room was packed to the rafters with boxes, but she wasn't allowed to send just anything.

"No alcohol," she said. "No pork products because most of these packages were going into majority Muslim countries. No overtly religious materials. And no pornography."

One day she heard about a shipment of sunscreen someone had donated, just sitting at an armory near her home. So she showed up and knocked on the door. It wasn’t long before she moved her whole operation from her house to the armory and started recruiting volunteers to help stuff boxes.

Now, Operation Gratitude is a non-profit company with a chief executive officer (CEO) and a couple dozen employees, which to date has sent more than 2.1 million packages to military members, their families and veterans.

"We all assume that everybody's got a family and loved ones that send them letters and packages," Vietnam veteran Bob Donavan said at a recent Operation Gratitude volunteer day.

"It's not so. They really don’t."

And when service members get those Operation Gratitude packages, he said there’s one thing that’s more important that the snacks and socks.

"When you get that letter, and I can tell you from speaking to a lot of people that have come back out of the combat zones, it's either in their breast pocket over their heart, or in their helmet. That's how much that little letter means," he added.

Operation Gratitude has since expanded their scope, now sending packages domestically to first responders as well as deployed military members.

There are such volunteer days all over the country, where hundreds of people donate their time, stuffing boxes, stuffing bears for military children and coming together.

People of all economic backgrounds, races, "and most significantly, of all political viewpoints," said Blashek.

"From the far left to the far right, and everybody is joined in common cause to say thank you."

This story will be featured in ABC Radio's three-hour special, "America Gives Thanks," airing on ABC Radio affiliates across the country on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22.

Images of bloodied scrubs, shoes and hospital rooms flooded social media after the NRA suggested doctors who support a ban on semi-automatic firearms should "stay in their lane."

Dr. Regina Royan, an emergency medicine resident at the University of Chicago, tweeted a picture of an operating room with pools of blood on the floor: "I held this 22-year-old’s heart & used my hand to pump blood through a bullet-riddled body."

"First patient, first day of residency: gunshot wound to the head," read one tweet from Dr. Brent McCaleb, a family medicine resident at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, next to a photo of splashes of blood on his scrubs.

Dr. Stephanie Bonne, a trauma surgeon with University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, was also outraged by the NRA’s response. She shared a photo to #ThisISOurLane of her own operating room after a patient tragically died from a gun injury.

"I mean are they kidding? Not my lane? Like, this is my highway. This is where I live every day. This is what I do every day," she told ABC News' "Start Here" podcast.

The shooting hit even closer to home for Bonne, who trained at Mercy Hospital seven years ago.

"One of the first things I thought was ... is this somebody that I knew? Was this one of my friends, one of my colleagues?”

University Hospital treats more than 500 gunshot wounds a year in Newark, according to Bonne, but she stressed it's not just "urban centers" that are seeing these firearm injuries. The entire medical community is feeling the effects of the rising death toll from gun violence.

"There's not a surgeon in the country that didn't do trauma as part of their residency, and part of their training, and hasn't been there to see a patient who's been shot and had to do a life-saving operation on them," she said to "Start Here."

For years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was barred by law from advocating for gun control and as a result did not publish much research on the topic. But last week, the CDC released new data, showing that after a decline in deadly shootings, gun deaths rose between 2015 and 2016, including 27,000 firearm homicides and 45,000 firearm suicides.

Instead of staying in "their lane," Bonne wants doctors to have a seat at the table in conversations addressing gun violence as a public health issue.

"What I can tell you is that an AR-15 is far more damaging a bullet than a handgun bullet, so to the extent that that is useful to the conversation, then I belong at the table to say, 'Hey, these bullets damage a lot more than a handgun bullet and people die from them because the organ damage that's inflicted by [this is] far and above worse than what we see with ordinary ammunition in rifles."

As doctors continue to share stories to #ThisISOurLane, Bonne believes more attention, and more research, will be focused on gun violence.

"A lot of my colleagues have said recently ... for too long we've been sanitizing the problem," she told "Start Here." "Getting a bunch of doctors together to post pictures of their ... bloody scrubs and floors and everything else up on Twitter was certainly powerful."

]]>Scott Olson/Getty Images(CHICAGO) -- The medical community reignited a social media campaign against the National Rifle Association earlier this week after a gunman opened fire at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center on Chicago's South Side, killing an ER doctor, a pharmacist and a police officer.

Images of bloodied scrubs, shoes and hospital rooms flooded social media after the NRA suggested doctors who support a ban on semi-automatic firearms should "stay in their lane."

Dr. Regina Royan, an emergency medicine resident at the University of Chicago, tweeted a picture of an operating room with pools of blood on the floor: "I held this 22-year-old’s heart & used my hand to pump blood through a bullet-riddled body."

"First patient, first day of residency: gunshot wound to the head," read one tweet from Dr. Brent McCaleb, a family medicine resident at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, next to a photo of splashes of blood on his scrubs.

Dr. Stephanie Bonne, a trauma surgeon with University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, was also outraged by the NRA’s response. She shared a photo to #ThisISOurLane of her own operating room after a patient tragically died from a gun injury.

"I mean are they kidding? Not my lane? Like, this is my highway. This is where I live every day. This is what I do every day," she told ABC News' "Start Here" podcast.

The shooting hit even closer to home for Bonne, who trained at Mercy Hospital seven years ago.

"One of the first things I thought was ... is this somebody that I knew? Was this one of my friends, one of my colleagues?”

University Hospital treats more than 500 gunshot wounds a year in Newark, according to Bonne, but she stressed it's not just "urban centers" that are seeing these firearm injuries. The entire medical community is feeling the effects of the rising death toll from gun violence.

"There's not a surgeon in the country that didn't do trauma as part of their residency, and part of their training, and hasn't been there to see a patient who's been shot and had to do a life-saving operation on them," she said to "Start Here."

For years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was barred by law from advocating for gun control and as a result did not publish much research on the topic. But last week, the CDC released new data, showing that after a decline in deadly shootings, gun deaths rose between 2015 and 2016, including 27,000 firearm homicides and 45,000 firearm suicides.

Instead of staying in "their lane," Bonne wants doctors to have a seat at the table in conversations addressing gun violence as a public health issue.

"What I can tell you is that an AR-15 is far more damaging a bullet than a handgun bullet, so to the extent that that is useful to the conversation, then I belong at the table to say, 'Hey, these bullets damage a lot more than a handgun bullet and people die from them because the organ damage that's inflicted by [this is] far and above worse than what we see with ordinary ammunition in rifles."

As doctors continue to share stories to #ThisISOurLane, Bonne believes more attention, and more research, will be focused on gun violence.

"A lot of my colleagues have said recently ... for too long we've been sanitizing the problem," she told "Start Here." "Getting a bunch of doctors together to post pictures of their ... bloody scrubs and floors and everything else up on Twitter was certainly powerful."

]]>Tennessee driver killed by concrete chunk tossed from highway overpass, police sayhttp://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/8b4aa0d2fc5dcdba6ee67d44e874e731
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 06:11:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/8b4aa0d2fc5dcdba6ee67d44e874e731iStock/Thinkstock(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- Police are searching for a suspect in the death of a Tennessee driver killed on Tuesday when a large chunk of concrete came crashing through his windshield.

Joe Shelton Jr., 54, was driving to work early Tuesday morning when the large piece of concrete smashed through his Nissan sports car, hitting the man in the face and sending his vehicle swerving across a Nashville highway, according to police.

Shelton was an employee at a Nissan plant in Smyrna.

Investigators with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said the concrete was likely tossed from a bridge overlooking the highway, but there’s no indication of who threw it, the police department said.

Police said the small vehicle sideswiped a pickup truck and a guardrail before it finally lost momentum.

"The concrete chunk traveled through Shelton’s windshield and hit him in the face at approximately 4:54 a.m. as he was driving to work at the Nissan plant in Smyrna," the department said in a statement. "The Nissan then sideswiped a Toyota pickup truck and a guardrail before coming to final rest on I-24’s Silliman Evans Bridge."

Inspectors with the Tennessee Department of Transportation determined that the concrete was not a part of the bridge structure, but more closely resembled a roadside curb, according to the statement.

The department is looking for local surveillance footage and investigating the origin of the concrete for potential clues.

Police are asking anyone who might know where the concrete chunk came from to call their Crime Stoppers line at 615-742-7463 with information.

"Investigators are reviewing available surveillance cameras in the area of the I-24/Shelby Avenue interchange, but do not yet have any description of a person(s) who may have thrown the concrete chunk from the bridge,” the statement said. "Anyone with information about this case, including seeing a person(s) standing on the Shelby Avenue Bridge in the 4:50 a.m.-4:55 a.m. time frame this morning, is asked to contact Crime Stoppers."

In April, four Ohio teens pleaded guilty to dropping a sandbag off a freeway overpass that killed a 22-year-old man. They were given suspended sentences and ordered to a treatment center.

Joe Shelton Jr., 54, was driving to work early Tuesday morning when the large piece of concrete smashed through his Nissan sports car, hitting the man in the face and sending his vehicle swerving across a Nashville highway, according to police.

Shelton was an employee at a Nissan plant in Smyrna.

Investigators with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said the concrete was likely tossed from a bridge overlooking the highway, but there’s no indication of who threw it, the police department said.

Police said the small vehicle sideswiped a pickup truck and a guardrail before it finally lost momentum.

"The concrete chunk traveled through Shelton’s windshield and hit him in the face at approximately 4:54 a.m. as he was driving to work at the Nissan plant in Smyrna," the department said in a statement. "The Nissan then sideswiped a Toyota pickup truck and a guardrail before coming to final rest on I-24’s Silliman Evans Bridge."

Inspectors with the Tennessee Department of Transportation determined that the concrete was not a part of the bridge structure, but more closely resembled a roadside curb, according to the statement.

The department is looking for local surveillance footage and investigating the origin of the concrete for potential clues.

Police are asking anyone who might know where the concrete chunk came from to call their Crime Stoppers line at 615-742-7463 with information.

"Investigators are reviewing available surveillance cameras in the area of the I-24/Shelby Avenue interchange, but do not yet have any description of a person(s) who may have thrown the concrete chunk from the bridge,” the statement said. "Anyone with information about this case, including seeing a person(s) standing on the Shelby Avenue Bridge in the 4:50 a.m.-4:55 a.m. time frame this morning, is asked to contact Crime Stoppers."

In April, four Ohio teens pleaded guilty to dropping a sandbag off a freeway overpass that killed a 22-year-old man. They were given suspended sentences and ordered to a treatment center.

Two days of deliberations resulted in a hung jury, ABC New York station WABC reported. Seven members of the jury declared the 22-year-old suspect, Chanel Lewis, guilty, while five jurors declared him not guilty.

When deliberations began Tuesday morning, jurors requested to hear videos of Lewis describing to investigators what happened on the night Vetrano was killed, WABC reported. Jurors also asked for various pieces of evidence to be presented, according to the station.

In addition, jurors heard testimony from a DNA expert on Tuesday, WABC reported.

"We can all agree what happened to Karina Vetrano was horrible," Lewis's defense attorney, Robert Moeller, said in court, but reiterated that Lewis is not guilty of killing Vetrano.

"I think he was more tired than anything else. He’s been -- we've been at it all day. He was exhausted," Moeller said following the mistrial. "I don’t know if he even realizes -- if it has sunken in yet."

Vetrano's family did not speak after the mistrial was declared.

In a statement, the Queens District Attorney's Office said it would retry the case. Lewis's next court date is set for Jan. 22.

During the seven-day trial, Queens County Prosecutor Brad Leventhal said Lewis's anger led him to kill Vetrano.

"He was angry, and he took it out on Karina Vetrano," Leventhal said. "His words. His words ... He is the man who strangled Karina Vetrano to death."

Leventhal also said the DNA collected from Vetrano's fingernails, neck and cell phone matched Lewis.

"The jury is understanding that DNA is not all of it -- confession is not all it," defense attorney Jenny Cheung said. "And there are issues in the case that you can all see that it is much more complex."

Vetrano, 30, was strangled on Aug. 2, 2016, when she went for one of her regular jogs in her hometown of Howard Beach in Queens, on a path where she and her father often ran together, police said.

Vetrano's father found her severely beaten body after becoming concerned that she didn't return home from her run and called police. Her front tooth had been knocked out, her pants were pulled down, and her socks were wet, said ABC News contributor Robert Boyce, who was the NYPD chief of detectives at the time.

Lewis was arrested six months later after his DNA matched a sample taken at the crime scene, police said. His arrest was based on a hunch by NYPD Lt. John Russo, who had seen Lewis on the border of Brooklyn and Queens three months before Vetrano was killed, police sources told ABC News at the time of the arrest. Police then tracked him down and said Lewis gave them a voluntary DNA sample.

Lewis pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included murder and sexual abuse. He allegedly confessed the crime to police, but his attorneys believe he was coerced into the confession.

"Mr. Lewis is very optimistic," Rev. Kevin McCall of the National Action Network, a Lewis family spokesman, told ABC News before the trial began. "He pleaded not guilty because he believes and knows that he did not commit this crime."

Two days of deliberations resulted in a hung jury, ABC New York station WABC reported. Seven members of the jury declared the 22-year-old suspect, Chanel Lewis, guilty, while five jurors declared him not guilty.

When deliberations began Tuesday morning, jurors requested to hear videos of Lewis describing to investigators what happened on the night Vetrano was killed, WABC reported. Jurors also asked for various pieces of evidence to be presented, according to the station.

In addition, jurors heard testimony from a DNA expert on Tuesday, WABC reported.

"We can all agree what happened to Karina Vetrano was horrible," Lewis's defense attorney, Robert Moeller, said in court, but reiterated that Lewis is not guilty of killing Vetrano.

"I think he was more tired than anything else. He’s been -- we've been at it all day. He was exhausted," Moeller said following the mistrial. "I don’t know if he even realizes -- if it has sunken in yet."

Vetrano's family did not speak after the mistrial was declared.

In a statement, the Queens District Attorney's Office said it would retry the case. Lewis's next court date is set for Jan. 22.

During the seven-day trial, Queens County Prosecutor Brad Leventhal said Lewis's anger led him to kill Vetrano.

"He was angry, and he took it out on Karina Vetrano," Leventhal said. "His words. His words ... He is the man who strangled Karina Vetrano to death."

Leventhal also said the DNA collected from Vetrano's fingernails, neck and cell phone matched Lewis.

"The jury is understanding that DNA is not all of it -- confession is not all it," defense attorney Jenny Cheung said. "And there are issues in the case that you can all see that it is much more complex."

Vetrano, 30, was strangled on Aug. 2, 2016, when she went for one of her regular jogs in her hometown of Howard Beach in Queens, on a path where she and her father often ran together, police said.

Vetrano's father found her severely beaten body after becoming concerned that she didn't return home from her run and called police. Her front tooth had been knocked out, her pants were pulled down, and her socks were wet, said ABC News contributor Robert Boyce, who was the NYPD chief of detectives at the time.

Lewis was arrested six months later after his DNA matched a sample taken at the crime scene, police said. His arrest was based on a hunch by NYPD Lt. John Russo, who had seen Lewis on the border of Brooklyn and Queens three months before Vetrano was killed, police sources told ABC News at the time of the arrest. Police then tracked him down and said Lewis gave them a voluntary DNA sample.

Lewis pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included murder and sexual abuse. He allegedly confessed the crime to police, but his attorneys believe he was coerced into the confession.

"Mr. Lewis is very optimistic," Rev. Kevin McCall of the National Action Network, a Lewis family spokesman, told ABC News before the trial began. "He pleaded not guilty because he believes and knows that he did not commit this crime."

It is the first cost estimate provided since the start of the mission to support Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ahead of the arrival of several migrant caravans making their way north through Mexico from Central America.

“Based on the current phased force laydown of approximately 5,900 Active Component personnel through Dec. 15, 2018, the estimated cost to deploy, operate, sustain, and redeploy forces is approximately $72 million,” said Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman.

"The total cost of the operation has yet to be determined and will depend on the total size, duration, and scope of the DoD support to DHS,” he added.

Prior to the election, President Trump had said that the border mission deployment could rise to as many as 10,000 or 15,000 troops. Some analysts had used the president's prediction to arrive at estimates that the cost of the mission could end up being as high as $200 million.

Defense Secretary James Mattis and other Pentagon officials said they had been unable to provide estimates about the potential costs of the mission. Last week, during a trip to the border, Mattis told reporters that while the Pentagon was tracking early cost information it was still too early to make a firm cost estimate.

Last week, the Pentagon confirmed, that for now, the border mission will remain at 5,900 depending on future requests for assistance from CBP.

At one point, U.S. Northern Command had said the number of troops authorized for the mission could end up being more than 7,000.

For comparison, the cost of the ongoing National Guard deployment of 2,100 troops that began in April has cost $138 million so far.

]]>John Moore/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The Pentagon estimates that the current costs of the U.S. military’s border support mission will cost $72 million.

It is the first cost estimate provided since the start of the mission to support Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ahead of the arrival of several migrant caravans making their way north through Mexico from Central America.

“Based on the current phased force laydown of approximately 5,900 Active Component personnel through Dec. 15, 2018, the estimated cost to deploy, operate, sustain, and redeploy forces is approximately $72 million,” said Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman.

"The total cost of the operation has yet to be determined and will depend on the total size, duration, and scope of the DoD support to DHS,” he added.

Prior to the election, President Trump had said that the border mission deployment could rise to as many as 10,000 or 15,000 troops. Some analysts had used the president's prediction to arrive at estimates that the cost of the mission could end up being as high as $200 million.

Defense Secretary James Mattis and other Pentagon officials said they had been unable to provide estimates about the potential costs of the mission. Last week, during a trip to the border, Mattis told reporters that while the Pentagon was tracking early cost information it was still too early to make a firm cost estimate.

Last week, the Pentagon confirmed, that for now, the border mission will remain at 5,900 depending on future requests for assistance from CBP.

At one point, U.S. Northern Command had said the number of troops authorized for the mission could end up being more than 7,000.

For comparison, the cost of the ongoing National Guard deployment of 2,100 troops that began in April has cost $138 million so far.

]]>Avenatti, girlfriend were fighting about money before alleged domestic violence occurred: Court docshttp://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/934aa2ea5b15c81c4e0d94252db7dae3
Tue, 20 Nov 2018 20:30:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-national-news/934aa2ea5b15c81c4e0d94252db7dae3Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images(CHICAGO) -- Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels, was allegedly berating his girlfriend about money before an alleged physical altercation in the couple's Southern California home occurred last week, according to court documents file by the ex-girlfriend.

Mareli Miniutti, a 24-year-old actress in Los Angeles who says she was in a relationship with Avenatti for more than a year, was granted a temporary restraining order in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday. When asked if the allegations aren't true, Avenatti told ABC News' Tom Llamas via text Tuesday afternoon, "I am completely innocent and am anxious for all of the evidence to be disclosed - the video tapes, the Instagram posts, the physical evidence, all of it. I did nothing wrong and certainly did not commit any crime."

Miniutti alleges in the court filing that she and Avenatti were in the master bedroom on Nov. 13 when they began arguing about money.

Avenatti, 47, allegedly told Miniutti, that she was "ungrateful," calling her a "f------ b----," the court document stated.

Miniutti then went to the guest bedroom to sleep, and Avenatti allegedly followed her, approached her in a "threatening manner" before "forcefully hitting" her in the face with pillows, she wrote in her filing."He then said words to the effect of, 'Do not disrespect me. You don't get to sleep in my house tonight,'" Miniutti wrote.

Avenatti then allegedly grabbed her wrist, attempting to pull her out of bed, but he slipped and lost his grip, according to her statements filed with the court. When Miniutti attempted to send a text to a friend, he then allegedly grabbed the phone and screamed, "This is my phone!" and put it in his pocket.

"At all times, he remained very close to me such that I was afraid for my safety," Miniutti wrote. After Miniutti "screamed for help towards the nearby window," Avenatti allegedly grabbed her arm, dragged her out of bed onto the floor and through the front door into the public hallway, she said, adding that she suffered scratches to her side and leg.

When Miniutti rang a neighbor's doorbell, Avenatti allegedly yelled at her and pulled her back into the apartment, she said. He then allegedly blocked the door with his body to prevent her from leaving.

Avenatti then followed Miniutti as she ran back into the guest room, according to Miniutti's court filing

She put on pants but "did not have time to put on shoes," and was able to get around Avenatti, running toward the main elevator. When Avenatti followed her, she pressed the call button for the service elevator, and he allegedly then entered the service elevator with her again, court documents stated.During the ride down to the lobby, Avenatti allegedly begged, "Don't do this, Mareli, don't involve them," her filing stated.

Miniutti then spoke to building security and called a friend to pick her up, she said. The next day, she returned to the apartment to pack her belongings, she wrote. Avenatti allegedly came home briefly during that time, but he left after Miniutti informed him that police were at the building, according to the order.

Police told Miniutti later that day that Avenatti had been arrested.

A letter sent to the LAPD on behalf of Avenatti's attorneys, and obtained by ABC News, detailed efforts by private investigators to interview staff and view security camera footage from the building where the alleged incident took place.

According to the letter from Avenatti's defense team, there was no evidence that Avenatti was physically violent with Miniutti.

While the apartment complex contained multiple security cameras, at no point do they "show force, violence or offensive touching of Ms. Miniutti by Mr. Avenatti," the letter obtained by ABC News stated.This included video footage in the reception area, elevators, leasing office and foyer of the building, the letter said.

While cameras did capture Avenatti and Miniutti together the night of the alleged incident, the videos, according to the document, "conclusively demonstrate that Mr. Avenatti was calm and collected at all relevant times." the letter stated.

According to the letter, both a security guard and building concierge, who spoke with investigators hired by Avenatti's attorneys, did not witness Avenatti "use any force or violence against Ms. Miniutti, nor engage in any act of disrespectful or angry touching, nor make any threats, or even any threatening gestures, towards her."

Miniutti's attorney, Michael Bachner, told ABC News that she "stands by the accuracy of her statements to the LAPD."

"The suggestions contained in Mr. Avenatti’s counsel’s letter to the LAPD are vindictive, demonstrably contrary to the evidence, and unworthy of further reply," Bachner wrote.

Miniutti wrote in her filing that she is afraid that Avenatti may "harass" and "cause harm" to her as a result of the events that allegedly occurred on Nov. 13. She also said that Avenatti "has a history of being very verbally abusive and financially controlling towards" her, has "vehemently opposed" to her desire to "earn a living outside of Hollywood," and has "made promises" to take care of her "financially and sometimes fails to follow through," according to the court document.

The temporary restraining order request included photos showing what appeared to be bruises on Miniutti's hands and leg. The request was granted on Monday and remains in force until a hearing on Dec. 10. A request to seal the case to avoid a media circus and national scrutiny was denied, as was a request for Avenatti to return an iPhone to Miniutti.

The order instructed Avenatti to refrain from harassing, threatening, striking or stalking Miniutti. He is also barred from contacting her or coming within 100 yards of her, her job, her home or her vehicle.After he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence with injuries last week, Avenatti maintained that he has "never struck a woman." He has not been formally charged with a crime, and the Los Angeles Police Department had not sent the case over to prosecutors for a determination on whether to file formal charges as of Tuesday morning.

"I wish to thank the hard working men and woman of the LAPD for their professionalism they were only doing their jobs in light of the completely bogus allegations against me," Avenatti said in a statement released through his law firm last week. "I have never been physically abusive in my life nor was I last night. Any accusations to the contrary are fabricated and meant to do harm to my reputation. I look forward to being fully exonerated."

On Tuesday, Avenatti tweeted that he has requested the "immediate release" of the video footage recorded on the date of the alleged incident to his counsel and the Los Angeles Police department to reveal "the truth." He also blasted TMZ, the outlet that broke the news of his arrest, for its "false reporting" about the alleged incident, and threatened to sue them if they do not retract the story and issue an apology. TMZ's initial report indicated that the alleged victim in the incident was Avenatti's estranged wife. The outlet later issued a correction.

Miniutti, a Los-Angeles based actress, is originally from Estonia, records showed. The pair had been dating since October 2017 and moved in together in January, according to her court declaration. Their relationship ended on the night of the alleged incident, Miniutti wrote in her filing.

Avenatti's estranged wife, Lisa Storie-Avenatti, who he is in the process of divorcing, and his ex-wife, Christine Avenatti-Carlin, both issued statements after his arrest saying he was never violent with them.

"My client states that there has never been domestic violence in her relationship with Michael and that she has never known Michael to be physically violent toward anyone," Valerie Prescott, Lisa Storie-Avenatti's lawyer, said. "My client requests that the media respect her privacy and that of the parties' young son."

Christine Avenatti-Carlin, Avenatti's first wife and mother of his two daughters, said, "Michael has always been a loving, kind father to our two daughters and husband."

"He has never been abusive to me or anyone else," Avenatti-Carlin added. "He is a very good man."

]]>Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images(CHICAGO) -- Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels, was allegedly berating his girlfriend about money before an alleged physical altercation in the couple's Southern California home occurred last week, according to court documents file by the ex-girlfriend.

Mareli Miniutti, a 24-year-old actress in Los Angeles who says she was in a relationship with Avenatti for more than a year, was granted a temporary restraining order in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday. When asked if the allegations aren't true, Avenatti told ABC News' Tom Llamas via text Tuesday afternoon, "I am completely innocent and am anxious for all of the evidence to be disclosed - the video tapes, the Instagram posts, the physical evidence, all of it. I did nothing wrong and certainly did not commit any crime."

Miniutti alleges in the court filing that she and Avenatti were in the master bedroom on Nov. 13 when they began arguing about money.

Avenatti, 47, allegedly told Miniutti, that she was "ungrateful," calling her a "f------ b----," the court document stated.

Miniutti then went to the guest bedroom to sleep, and Avenatti allegedly followed her, approached her in a "threatening manner" before "forcefully hitting" her in the face with pillows, she wrote in her filing."He then said words to the effect of, 'Do not disrespect me. You don't get to sleep in my house tonight,'" Miniutti wrote.

Avenatti then allegedly grabbed her wrist, attempting to pull her out of bed, but he slipped and lost his grip, according to her statements filed with the court. When Miniutti attempted to send a text to a friend, he then allegedly grabbed the phone and screamed, "This is my phone!" and put it in his pocket.

"At all times, he remained very close to me such that I was afraid for my safety," Miniutti wrote. After Miniutti "screamed for help towards the nearby window," Avenatti allegedly grabbed her arm, dragged her out of bed onto the floor and through the front door into the public hallway, she said, adding that she suffered scratches to her side and leg.

When Miniutti rang a neighbor's doorbell, Avenatti allegedly yelled at her and pulled her back into the apartment, she said. He then allegedly blocked the door with his body to prevent her from leaving.

Avenatti then followed Miniutti as she ran back into the guest room, according to Miniutti's court filing

She put on pants but "did not have time to put on shoes," and was able to get around Avenatti, running toward the main elevator. When Avenatti followed her, she pressed the call button for the service elevator, and he allegedly then entered the service elevator with her again, court documents stated.During the ride down to the lobby, Avenatti allegedly begged, "Don't do this, Mareli, don't involve them," her filing stated.

Miniutti then spoke to building security and called a friend to pick her up, she said. The next day, she returned to the apartment to pack her belongings, she wrote. Avenatti allegedly came home briefly during that time, but he left after Miniutti informed him that police were at the building, according to the order.

Police told Miniutti later that day that Avenatti had been arrested.

A letter sent to the LAPD on behalf of Avenatti's attorneys, and obtained by ABC News, detailed efforts by private investigators to interview staff and view security camera footage from the building where the alleged incident took place.

According to the letter from Avenatti's defense team, there was no evidence that Avenatti was physically violent with Miniutti.

While the apartment complex contained multiple security cameras, at no point do they "show force, violence or offensive touching of Ms. Miniutti by Mr. Avenatti," the letter obtained by ABC News stated.This included video footage in the reception area, elevators, leasing office and foyer of the building, the letter said.

While cameras did capture Avenatti and Miniutti together the night of the alleged incident, the videos, according to the document, "conclusively demonstrate that Mr. Avenatti was calm and collected at all relevant times." the letter stated.

According to the letter, both a security guard and building concierge, who spoke with investigators hired by Avenatti's attorneys, did not witness Avenatti "use any force or violence against Ms. Miniutti, nor engage in any act of disrespectful or angry touching, nor make any threats, or even any threatening gestures, towards her."

Miniutti's attorney, Michael Bachner, told ABC News that she "stands by the accuracy of her statements to the LAPD."

"The suggestions contained in Mr. Avenatti’s counsel’s letter to the LAPD are vindictive, demonstrably contrary to the evidence, and unworthy of further reply," Bachner wrote.

Miniutti wrote in her filing that she is afraid that Avenatti may "harass" and "cause harm" to her as a result of the events that allegedly occurred on Nov. 13. She also said that Avenatti "has a history of being very verbally abusive and financially controlling towards" her, has "vehemently opposed" to her desire to "earn a living outside of Hollywood," and has "made promises" to take care of her "financially and sometimes fails to follow through," according to the court document.

The temporary restraining order request included photos showing what appeared to be bruises on Miniutti's hands and leg. The request was granted on Monday and remains in force until a hearing on Dec. 10. A request to seal the case to avoid a media circus and national scrutiny was denied, as was a request for Avenatti to return an iPhone to Miniutti.

The order instructed Avenatti to refrain from harassing, threatening, striking or stalking Miniutti. He is also barred from contacting her or coming within 100 yards of her, her job, her home or her vehicle.After he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence with injuries last week, Avenatti maintained that he has "never struck a woman." He has not been formally charged with a crime, and the Los Angeles Police Department had not sent the case over to prosecutors for a determination on whether to file formal charges as of Tuesday morning.

"I wish to thank the hard working men and woman of the LAPD for their professionalism they were only doing their jobs in light of the completely bogus allegations against me," Avenatti said in a statement released through his law firm last week. "I have never been physically abusive in my life nor was I last night. Any accusations to the contrary are fabricated and meant to do harm to my reputation. I look forward to being fully exonerated."

On Tuesday, Avenatti tweeted that he has requested the "immediate release" of the video footage recorded on the date of the alleged incident to his counsel and the Los Angeles Police department to reveal "the truth." He also blasted TMZ, the outlet that broke the news of his arrest, for its "false reporting" about the alleged incident, and threatened to sue them if they do not retract the story and issue an apology. TMZ's initial report indicated that the alleged victim in the incident was Avenatti's estranged wife. The outlet later issued a correction.

Miniutti, a Los-Angeles based actress, is originally from Estonia, records showed. The pair had been dating since October 2017 and moved in together in January, according to her court declaration. Their relationship ended on the night of the alleged incident, Miniutti wrote in her filing.

Avenatti's estranged wife, Lisa Storie-Avenatti, who he is in the process of divorcing, and his ex-wife, Christine Avenatti-Carlin, both issued statements after his arrest saying he was never violent with them.

"My client states that there has never been domestic violence in her relationship with Michael and that she has never known Michael to be physically violent toward anyone," Valerie Prescott, Lisa Storie-Avenatti's lawyer, said. "My client requests that the media respect her privacy and that of the parties' young son."

Christine Avenatti-Carlin, Avenatti's first wife and mother of his two daughters, said, "Michael has always been a loving, kind father to our two daughters and husband."

"He has never been abusive to me or anyone else," Avenatti-Carlin added. "He is a very good man."